Faucet-indicator.



W. H. MAASS, JR. & F. C. GRAF.

FAUCET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-24. 1916.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

FFI.

WILLIAM H. IVLAASS, JR., AND FREDERICK GRAB, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FAUCET-IIN'DICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed. January 24;, 1916, Serial No. 73,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. MAASS, J12, residing at 366 Pacific street, Brooklyn, borough of Kings, and State of New York, and FREDERICK C. GRAF, residing at 4:17 Railroad avenue, Brooklyn, borough of Kings, and State of New York, both citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Faucet-Indicat0rs, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same. I

This invention relates to that class of faucets which are projected horizontally over a tray at the rear side of a bar-counter, and especially to such faucets as are provided with an upright plug; and the object of the invention is to furnish the plug of such faucet with an indicator which would beconstantly in view from the front of the bar, so that when the attendant operates the faucet the customer may clearly observe what is being drawn for his consumption. This object is attained by cutting off the ordinary hand-piece of the plug and securing a shank detachably upon the top of the plug and extending above the level of the barcounter, and having labels attached to its opposite sides, so that when the plug is turned in any position the indicator will be in constant view from the front of the bar.

By the use of this invention, a great number of faucets now unprovided with indicators can be supplied with the same at a very small expense, and. wholly avoid the substitution of new faucets.

The invention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a cross section of a bar counter having the faucets provided with our invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of part of the counter provided with three faucets; Fig. is an elevation of the plug and indicator having a screw-connection thereto, the threaded socket upon the indicator being shown in section; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a plug with an indicator having a label held therein by a removable frame.

A designates the top of the counter with bar B at the front edge of the same, and faucets C, C. C projected horizontally from an upright flange upon the rear edge of the counter.

The faucets are of the class provided with upright sockets in which a plug 6 may be turned uponan upright axis, thus facilitating the connection of an indicator D with the top end of the plug, and at such a distance above the body of the faucet as to project constantly above the level of the counter A.

Fig. 3 shows the application of the in vention to a faucet sufficiently near to the top of the bar-counter to require a short connection of the label hand-piece to the plug. In this figure, the shank of the handpiece is shown'provided with a threaded socket D, and the plug altered by cutting ofi its original hand-piece and threading the remaining portion of the shank to screw within the socket D. By this construction, the label hand-piece is detachably secured upon the upright plug of the faucet.

Where the hand-piece requires a longer shank to bring the label into view abovethe bar-counter, the label hand-piece is provided with such a long shank, as shown at (Z in Fig. 4, which shank may obviously be made of any length by our invention. The manufacture of such label hand-pieces with a socket in the lower end may be standardized so that they could be manufactured in quantities and applied to the plugs of existing faucets by changing the top of the faucet to receive the label hand-piece.

The hand-piece of the faucet by which it is turned is made flat, so as to carry the indicator by the application of a flat label to one or both sides of such hand-piece, as in the faucets C and C; or cylindrical, as shown at d upon the faucet C and the plug turned by means of a side-lever or handle 0.

The flat form of indicator furnishes a convenient seat for securing a detachable frame f or f, as shown in Fig. 4, to hold a label detachably upon the hand-piece of the faucet.

Fig. 4 shows the hand-piece 9 having an opening to expose both flat sides of the label, the. edges 9 of the opening being sloped inwardly as shown, and the frame 7" having a similar opening with inwardly sloped edges. so as to hold the label it between the two sloping faces and carry indicator-marks upon its opposite exposed sides. Indicators showing the nature of the beverage delivered by the faucet, are thus exposed upon both sides of the hand-piece, so as to be in view when the hand-piece is turned in any position.

The frame f is shown in Fig. 4 secured to the hand-p1ece by screws 2, but rivets are preferable in some cases, as screws could be removed by a screwdriver, to surreptitiously change the label in the indicator-frame; but the use of rivets does not interfere with holding the labels detachably upon the handpiece, as they may be punched out by suitable tools when new labels are substituted and new rivets then inserted. The use of rivets thus furnishes a detachable means of holding labels interchangeably, as an authorized person would be provided with the necessary tools to punch out the rivets, while they would be a far greater bar to any unauthorized interference than the use of screws.

Either screws or rivets would serve as a means of holding the labels detachably upon the indicator.

As the use of such indicators is increasing, our invention furnishes a convenient means of attaching an indicator to the upright plug of any faucet already in use upon the barcounter. As the distance of such faucets below the top of the bar-counter varies, it is necessary to extend the shank or stem of the plug more or less above the faucet to hold the indicator in constant view from the front of the bar, and our invention furnishes a means of connecting a label-shank detachably to the top of the plug, so that any of the standard label-shanks may be used interchangeably upon such plug to project the label. at the required distance above the top of the counter.

It is obvious that any detachable means equivalent to'the screw-thread may be used for connecting the label-shank detachably or interchangeably to the top of the plug.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Go'mmissioner of Patents.

' Washington, 1). C. 

